William Dempster Hoard, who was born and raised in Stockbridge, Madison County and went on to establish Hoard’s Dairyman newspaper and magazine and various dairy organizations, wrote this in the 1800s. It is often found hanging in dairy barns:

"The rule to be observed in this stable at all times, toward the cattle, young and old, is that of patience and kindness. A man’s usefulness in a herd ceases at once when he loses his temper and bestows rough usage. Men must be patient. Cattle are not reasoning beings. Remember that this is the Home of Mothers. Treat each cow as a Mother should be treated. The giving of milk is a function of Motherhood; rough treatment lessens the flow. That injures me as well as the cow. Always keep these ideas in mind in dealing with my cattle."

Syracuse, NY -- An official with animal rights group Mercy for Animals said Wednesday morning the dairy industry is known for treating cattle cruelly and abuse scenes shown in an undercover video shot by a group member are scenes that exist at farms across the country.

Matt Rice, the New York campaign coordinator for Mercy for Animals, showed a video the group says was shot at Willet Dairy in Genoa, Cayuga County, to bolster its claims that cows are routinely abused at dairy farms. The video was shown during a news conference at the Renaissance Hotel in Syracuse.

The video shows cows with open sores, calves and heifers getting their horns burned off and tails docked (cut short) without painkillers, calves being dragged away from their mothers shortly after birth and cows being beaten, kicked and hit by employees.

Willet Dairy is the largest dairy farm in Cayuga County. Mercy for Animals says it has 7,000 cows while others placed the number closer to 5,000.

Rice said the goal of the Willet Dairy video campaign is to "expose the public to abuses at a modern dairy" and push for laws to protect the animals. He said once people see what is happening at dairy farms, they will see "the best thing anyone can do is remove dairy from their diets."

On its Web site, Mercy for Animals advocates for vegetarian and vegan diets.

Jessica Ziehm, speaking for the state Department of Agriculture and Markets, said it is outrageous to say a majority of dairy farmers treat their cows poorly.

"Cows are their livelihood and they do all they can to make their cows comfortable, happy and healthy," she said.

"They provide special bedding, in the summer they have misters and fans to keep them cool, they put in special floors to prevent slipping, they have regular pedicures, they are checked routinely by vets, they have nutritionists who formulate special diets.

"This goes on and on," she said. "A video like this is the exception rather than the rule."

Ziehm and Shawn Bossard, farm manager at Morrisville State College, said it also is difficult with videos such as this one to know whether scenes were staged or completely true.

Rice said the Cayuga County District Attorney’s office "refused" to do anything when Mercy for Animals officials sent the video and complaint about Willet Dairy to the office.

District Attorney Jon Budelman said he gave the information to the Finger Lakes Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Central New York, the agency in Cayuga County that investigates animal abuse claims.

"Contrary to the Chicago based vegan group’s claim, this office never ‘refused’ to uphold the state’s laws to protect animals," Budelman said.

"However, we will not simply arrest someone based upon the allegations of this biased group, whose stated agenda is not to enforce the existing laws, but rather to seek a change in the way commercial farming operations are conducted nationally by singling out one such farm," he said.

Budelman said if the SPCA files charges, he will prosecute.

"The dairy industry continues to portray themselves as having happy cows," Rice said, referring to the California milk producers television ad featuring happy, talking cows. "But it’s hard to believe that people who raise and kill animals for a living have any regard for them."

The administrator of the SPCA in Cayuga County, Carol Russell, was not available for comment Wednesday. Also Willet Farm operators Lyn O'Dell and Dennis Eldred were out of the country and not available for comment.

The footage in the video was shot, Rice said, from late December 2008 to February 2009 by a Mercy for Animals member who got a job in the maintenance department at Willet Dairy. Rice said the farm was picked at random.